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We report that the asthma drugs cromolyn disodium and nedocromil sodium are potent G-protein-coupled receptor 35 (GPR35) agonists. We utilized calcium flux and inositol phosphate accumulation assays to examine the pharmacology of these asthma drugs on the human, mouse and rat GPR35. The compounds were more potent on the human GPR35 than on mouse and rat receptors. In contrast, zaprinast, a known GPR35 agonist, was more potent on mouse and rat GPR35 than the human ortholog. We show by quantitative PCR that GPR35 is expressed in human mast cells, human basophils and human eosinophils. We also demonstrate that GPR35 mRNA is upregulated upon challenge with IgE antibodies. We show that, unlike zaprinast, a potent phosphodiesterase 5 (PDE5) inhibitor, cromolyn disodium and nedocromil sodium lack inhibitory activity towards PDE5. These findings suggest that GPR35 may play an important role in mast cell biology and be a potential target for the treatment of asthma.

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Agonists of GPR40 (FFA1) have been proposed as a means to treat type 2 diabetes. Through lead optimization of a high throughput screening hit, we have identified a novel GPR40 agonist called AMG 837. The objective of these studies was to understand the preclinical pharmacological properties of AMG 837. The activity of AMG 837 on GPR40 was characterized through GTPγS binding, inositol phosphate accumulation and Ca2+ flux assays. Activity of AMG 837 on insulin release was assessed on isolated primary mouse islets. To determine the anti-diabetic activity of AMG 837 in vivo, we tested AMG 837 using a glucose tolerance test in normal Sprague-Dawley rats and obese Zucker fatty rats. AMG 837 was a potent partial agonist in the calcium flux assay on the GPR40 receptor and potentiated glucose stimulated insulin secretion in vitro and in vivo. Acute administration of AMG 837 lowered glucose excursions and increased glucose stimulated insulin secretion during glucose tolerance tests in both normal and Zucker fatty rats. The improvement in glucose excursions persisted following daily dosing of AMG 837 for 21-days in Zucker fatty rats. Preclinical studies demonstrated that AMG 837 was a potent GPR40 partial agonist which lowered post-prandial glucose levels. These studies support the potential utility of AMG 837 for the treatment of type 2 diabetes.

GPR81 is an orphan G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) that has a high degree of homology to the nicotinic acid receptor GPR109A. GPR81 expression is highly enriched and specific in adipocytes. However, the function and signaling properties of GPR81 are unknown because of the lack of natural or synthetic ligands. Using chimeric G proteins that convert Gi-coupled receptors to Gq-mediated inositol phosphate (IP) accumulation, we show that GPR81 can constitutively increase IP accumulation in HEK293 cells and suggest that GPR81 couples to the Gi signaling pathway. We also constructed a chimeric receptor that expresses the extracellular domains of cysteinyl leukotriene 2 receptor (CysLT2R) and the intracellular domains of GPR81. We show that the CysLT2R ligand, leukotriene D 4 (LTD4), is able to activate this chimeric receptor through activation of the Gi pathway. In addition, LTD4 is able to inhibit lipolysis in adipocytes expressing this chimeric receptor. These results suggest that GPR81 couples to the Gi signaling pathway and that activation of the receptor may regulate adipocyte function and metabolism. Hence, targeting GPR81 may lead to the development of a novel and effective therapy for dyslipidemia and a better side effect profile than nicotinic

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Over 257 mutations in the human calcium-sensing receptor (hCaSR) gene have been reported. Heterozygous inactivating mutations can result in familial hypocalciuric hypercalcemia (FHH), whereas homozygous inactivating mutations can cause life-threatening neonatal severe hyperparathyroidism (NSHPT). Activating mutations in the hCaSR can result in hypercalciuria and hypocalcemia. A recent publication on the successful treatment of a patient suffering from FHH with the hCaSR positive allosteric modulator cinacalcet prompted our interest in exploring the molecular pharmacology of calcimimetics to correct signaling defects associated with inactivating hCaSR mutations. We prepared 11 mutant hCaSRs, previously identified in patients suffering from NSHPT or FHH, and tested their ability to couple to inositol phosphate accumulation and intracellular calcium mobilization in transiently transfected human embryonic kidney 293 and Chines hamster ovary cells using the calcimimetic R-568 [3-(2-chlorophenyl)-N-((1R)-1-(3-methoxyphenyl)ethyl)-1-propanamine]. We found that extracellular Ca 2ϩ was significantly less potent on the mutated receptors compared with wild-type hCaSR. However, R-568 was able to enhance the potency of extracellular Ca 2ϩ toward the mutant hCaSRs. Furthermore, R-568 increased the maximal agonist response on several of the mutant CaSRs. We applied a novel operational model of allosteric modulation/agonism that provided a common mechanism to account for the behavior of the wild-type and mutant hCaSRs. The data provide evidence for the potential use of calcimimetics to treat diseases such as FHH and NSHPT where severe hypercalcemia can be lifethreatening.